Arranged Marriage

Chapter 6

XIAN stopped mixing his coffee. He stroked his furrowed brow. They didn't expect any visitors, especially since it was only nine o'clock in the morning. He saw their new housemate stand up.

"I'm going to the gate, continue eating your breakfast Wanwan,"

"Yes, Sir," Wanwan replied and sat down again to continue eating.

The doorbell rang again.

Xian shook his head as he came out of the kitchen. It seems that the person outside the gate can't wait anymore, because the doorbell has been ringing one after another and it hurts in his ear.

"I'm coming!" shouted Xian.

Xian stepped quickly to get closer to the gate, he saw a woman with her head bowed. He looked at her from head to toe. The woman was simply wearing house clothes.

"Eheeem! who are they-" Xian didn't finish what he was going to say when the woman raised her face, it seemed slow motion in his eyes.

"Hello, good morning!" Shekaina smiled at the man who opened the gate. She walked closer to the gate. "I'm Shekaina!" Introducing herself.

Xian was speechless. He looked at the woman's beautiful face.

"Ehem!" Shekaina pretended to cough to get the man's attention.

"I'm Xian." The man introduced himself and held out a hand to the woman.

"Shekaina!" the woman accepted Xian's hand.

The two shook hands for a moment.

"Do I know you?" Xian asked her.

"I'm Shan Shai's older sister. Liza's best friend." Shekaina replied.

"Your Sister's name is familiar to me, but I can't remember her face. I'm Liza's older brother." Xian saw the sadness on the face of the woman in front of him. "You are sad, is there a problem?"

"Because my sister ran away, I would have asked if she was here."

"She ran away?" Xian repeated.

"Yes. We don't know if she left the house last night or just this morning."

"Come in first," Xian invited her.

"No, thank you," Shekaina refused. "Because I'm with my parents. I was just going to ask if Shan Shai is here?"

"I'm sorry miss, but your sister isn't here. Actually, my sister is just leaving to bring the new maid for my friend." Xian said sadly. "I hope you see her,"

"Is that so," Shekaina sighed at what she heard. "Wait, I'll show you a picture of my sister." She snatched something from her pocket wearing denim pants.

"Later, I'll ask Liza when she's back home," Xian said he couldn't take his eyes off the woman's beautiful face.

"This is a picture of my sister," Shekaina handed over a solo shoot picture of her sister.

Xian handed the picture the woman was holding, he looked at it carefully. In fairness, her sister is also beautiful, just like the woman in front of him now. He can’t remember the woman’s face in the picture, because he’s often in the office so he can’t see his sister’s friends.

"If it's okay with you, I'll borrow this picture so I can show it to the housemaids and I'll ask them if they saw your sister here in our house,"

"Okay, go ahead, thank you. I'm leaving." Shekaina said goodbye and turned her back.

Xian wanted to stop the woman but she turned away. His gaze followed her, he saw her enter a fancy car parked not far from their house. He saw a Maserati GranTurismo car. It simply means that the woman he talked to, came from a wealthy family because the price of the car was not a joke. But the woman's attire looks very simple. Unlike the other women he met, they just had a car, their arrogance had reached the sky.

Xian smiled simply, he seemed to be interested in the woman he had just met. Twice, he lightly slapped his both cheeks before starting to step back inside the house.

"What did the person you talked to say?" Shin-Ma immediately asked her daughter who was now sitting in the driver's seat.

"Shan Shai, is not in their house," Shekaina replied.

Shin-Ma clasped her two palms together. "In that case, where will your sister go?"

"Maybe you know someone else, who is Shan Shai's friend," Zairu said sitting next to his wife. "Have you called your sister yet?"

"Yes dad, I've been calling her but she didn't pick up her cellphone,"

"My God, where is your sister?" cried Shin-Ma. She was very worried for her youngest daughter, she was not used to living alone.

"Call your sister again!" command of Zairu.

"Yeah, dad," Shekaina picked up the cellphone that was in her bag. Searched the contact list for her sister's number and pressed the call.

Liza coughed, Shan Shai looked at her. "I've heard your cellphone ringing, answer it and maybe it's your parents who are worried about you."

"We haven't reached your brother's friend's house yet," she replied.

She wanted to call her sister, to let her know that she was leaving the house, but she would do that later when she was inside the house where she was going to work.

"Answer your cellphone, we're far from our house, so they can't follow us anymore," Liza commented.

She took a deep breath. "Alright!"

"Ling-Wa, this is the address we're going to, 143 Ave. Maria Street Phase 1 Subdivision."

The driver nodded in response, as he drove carefully.

Shan Shai motioned to her friend to be quiet for a while.

"Hello," she answered the call.

"Where are you, Shan Shai?" Her sister asked. "We've been worried about you, where are you and we'll pick you up, I'm with mom and dad!"

She was speechless when she heard what her sister said.

"Shan Shai?!"

She was surprised because her sister's voice got louder. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Where are you?"

"Does anyone run away saying where to go?" she replied philosophically.

Shin-Ma grabs the daughter's cellphone holding it.

"Shan Shai, this is your mom, please go home." Shin-Ma cried pleadingly. "Come home, let's talk about it."

"I'm sorry mom," she said conscientiously to her mother. But as long as her father's plan did not change, she will not return to their house. She would rather be away from her family even if it hurts, as long as she doesn't marry a man she doesn't love. Even though she is far away from her family, there is a way to see them.

Shan Shai pressed the red dot to end the call. Her mother might convince her and change her mind. Her sister called again but she did not answer, she removed the battery from her cellphone.

Shan Shai felt Liza's palm touch the top of her hand.

"Are you okay?" Liza asked her because after she talked to her sister and mother, her face suddenly became sad.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay!"

She sighed, after talking to her mother and sister she suddenly missed them. I can do this! I can do it! I can do it! I can do it! this is the word she used to strengthen herself.

"We're close to the house we're going to," Ling-Wa said loudly.

This is it! her new life will begin with her future boss, she hopes he is kind and not afraid of the ugly like she is now.

WHILE in the car, Shin-Ma was still crying, she blamed her husband. Zairu is the reason she blames, why their youngest daughter ran away.

"It's all your fault why she ran away, if you hadn't led our daughter's life, she would still be with us!" crying Shin-Ma scolded her husband.

Zairu just chose to keep quiet, he didn't want to go along with his wife's anger.

Shekaina starts the car.

"Let's just give Shan Shai a few days to think, she's definitely coming back to our house," Shekaina said positively.

"Just one day, when we're not with your sister, it's like I'm going to die worrying about her!" Shin-Ma shouted.

That's how Shin-Ma as a loving mother, doesn't want their children to perish. Even just seconds without seeing their child a lot of bad things happen running through her mind.

"Let's go back home," Zairu's voice gently commands his daughter.

"Go back home? Aren't you even worried about Shan Shai?" Shin-Ma growled at her husband.

"I'm worried of course, Shan Shai is my daughter too!" Zairu replied. "Let's talk at home about how or where to find her,"

Because of the tension, Shekaina felt between her parents she drove the car fast.

The couple was shocked.

"We might have an accident," Shin-Ma commented.

"If you and dad don't stop we will have an accident," she replied to her mother. "Don't you know Shan Shai? she's brave, smart! she will not allow anyone to oppress her." Shekaina said while driving. This time, she slowed down the car.

"But your sister is a woman," Shin-Ma said again. She is afraid that her daughter might be r**e, especially since she has been watching a lot of news about r**e cases and kidnappings!